Pitch looked and played amazing. The players loved it. I'm impressed so far.
Pitch looked and played amazing. The players loved it. I'm impressed so far.
I was watching at the half and the guys that come on the field with their pitchforks had nothing to do...there were no divots! That in itself was amazing considering it had been raining for two days. Looking good ... well done.
I didn't get close to the field this time, but it really looked great! It will get more lush, & the roots will connect better with the artificial fibres below ground, as the grass has more time to grow. Especially as weather & sunlight improve.
I saw Jozy (& a few other players) testing the pitch before the game started, planting & twisting their feet etc.
The pitch was very stable - might have even contributed to Jozy's hammy tweak, because the footing was probably more stable (transferring stress back into the body) than expected.
Players will get used to it and then watch them fly.
Ok, can we discuss whether this field has some characteristics of how a fake turf plays now that we've seen it a few games?
I am worried that the additional stability is actually contributing to injuries (players are pushing as if the turf will give, and when it doesn't, the stress transfers right back up the body of the player)... I wonder if that actually factored a bit for Jozy and now for Laurent.
I also think the ball runs a bit faster than pure grass, and is a bit bouncier.
I dunno, those are just my casual observations.
I agree. I've always been thinking of those advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes that divot a player tears out of the surface when he plants his foot (w/o plastic reinforcement), is the difference between no injury on the one hand; and a sprained joint, or torn ligament/tendon on the other.
But then again, divots, bumpy surfaces, and the sand they use to hold the grass down w/o reinforcement, can affect the quality of play, and can also contribute to tiredness and injuries.
I wonder if it would be better to keep the grass a tiny bit longer above the plastic inserts than they've done when it was 100% grass. That might slow play a bit, but should make for a more forgiving surface.
I doubt there are any decent studies of this. The studies I have seen, tend to be pushed by the corresponding industry.
(BTW wasn't Ciman's injury caused by the Philly player kicking him in the ankle? Another dangerous foul not called. However even in that case, a softer surface might reduce injury if you get kicked when your foot is planted.)
Clubs around the world must be collecting stats on the turf. Many of the big stadiums in England (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GrassMaster) are using this stuff. They have so much potential revenue that's dependent on team success and any additional chance of injuries would not likely be risked.
This is what they used at BMO Field, according to my Google searches https://www.sispitches.com/products/hybrid-pitch-sisgrass/
Barcelona uses it at their training facility, so I have to think they are confident that it doesn't exacerbate the risk of injury.
https://www.sispitches.com/case-stud...t-FC-Barcelona
Last edited by Jack; 05-13-2019 at 03:47 PM.
Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy
As an armchair analyst, all I can wonder is if it is about the players simply getting used to the additional stability... And not overdoing it accidentally.
I also don't think the training facilities would see the sort of effort and fatigue combination that you see in the 80th minute of a competitive match.
Ok, that's fair. It was just an honest question, given that what injuries we've seen immediately upon the insertion of the fibres looked like they were stress related and the condition of the pitch was radically more stable than it was only two weeks prior to the insertion.
I'll accept that I'm probably imagining things.
And for sure this is better than the sand.
From my bad angle in the stands it did look like Ciman got caught and twisted something. But upon watching the highlights, yeah he was clipped by the Philly player.
I don't discount it 100%. There could be an adjustment period to a new surface, but wouldn't that also mean players would be more likely to be injured when playing on the road than at home (ie. on less familiar surfaces)? Either way, Jozy has known issues and Ciman got kicked, so I'm inclined to think it's not the pitch, but I'm not going to discount your theory 100% either. I guess we'll see how it plays out over the season, but so far, it's held up well and looks great.
Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy
Yes, but maybe not as likely to be forgotten about.
If you're playing on a pure artificial turf, you never forget it. Also, they make adjustments to cleat selection to accommodate.
I think that there is likely a different mind set on away pitches as you always remember that you don't know the field intimately.
My theory is underpinned by the idea that they might not be constantly aware of the new nature/stability of the grass, and that they default to thinking it will behave as in games/seasons past.
Again, I'm just imagining it as a minor contributing factor here.
Anyway, thanks to all for indulging me.
Twitter account still locked so this is a screenshot. Pitch seems to be holding up very well so far.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7GT9zjW0AAPMbK.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7GT83TX4AAj5P8.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7GT6i1UcAAJNZk.jpg
Field looks fantastic.
Look amazing , great to see !!
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
First CFL home field game on now at BMO.
That field looks good but can't tell if there is bits coming up or not & I'm not going to watch just for that.
Slight drainage test today with lots of rain until about 1 then a probable thunder storm around 3.
field has been holding up well so far. hopefully it passes this test as well.
I'm surprised we haven't seen any player interviews about the pitch. Does that mean they don't like it?
I'm glad it's TFC on the pitch after these downpours, and not the Argos. The new surface has held up well to the Argos so far, but we haven't had the ultimate test yet (e.g. huge downpour during or just before an Argos game).
Well, I've always wanted the Argos out of BMO to their own pointyball stadium (better for both clubs), but that's not happening. In fact they are going to change BMO Field in the future to integrate more Argos elements (eg more blue). Our opinion means little, so I'm not sure what "vigilence" we can do apart from using social media to shame MLSE if the pitch fails.
MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto
So ... our first home game is in a month, I assume they must be preparing the pitch already.
Anyone got any info about what the process is? Or about what they did with the grass over the winter?
Would be interesting to see the process to prepare the field for them this early as well as what was done over the winter to preserve it since they installed that Hybrid last summer